Environmental Problems and Policies in Spain

Posted on Nov 1, 2024 in Geology

1. Environmental Problems and Policies

1.3.4 The Water Policy

The water policy has two main purposes:

  1. The regulation of water, which corresponds to the Water Act. It states that all surface waters and groundwaters are state public domain.
  2. The management of water resources, which is carried out by water planning:
    • Basin Water Plans identify the needs and works of each basin. They are prepared by the Hydrographic Confederations.
    • The National Water Plan coordinates watershed plans and designs the overall performance with the AGUA Programme, which aims to achieve the following objectives:
      • Achieving self-sufficiency of each river’s water. Measures to achieve this purpose are twofold. On the one hand, the construction of new water projects to increase water availability, which will focus on the Mediterranean coast and consist of the construction of desalination plants. Moreover, a better use of existing resources through measures such as net mending, reducing consumption, improving irrigation, and the reuse of treated water for irrigation.
      • Ensuring good quality water for drinking and maintaining aquatic ecosystems. To this end, water treatment will be improved, sewage treatment plants will be built, and damaged water systems will be recovered.
      • Preventing floods and droughts by the arrangement of channels and the reforestation of riverbanks.

1.3.5 International Environmental Agreements and Policies

International agreements signed by Spain involve compliance with certain commitments on environmental issues like climate change and air pollution. The environmental policy of the European Union seeks to preserve the environment through actions that impact environmental policy in member states:

  • The promotion of sustainable development and the wise use of resources to satisfy the needs of present and future generations.
  • The prevention of environmental degradation by conducting prior studies of the environmental impact of projects and raising awareness among the public through education and awareness campaigns.
  • The correction of existing environmental problems in the European Union by punishing those who violate environmental regulations, in accordance with the “polluter pays” principle.
  • The conservation of natural areas in the Union by creating a network of protected sites called Natura 2000.

2. Environmental Risks

2.1 Geological Risks

Geological risks come from inside the earth in the form of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, or from external factors such as landslides.

  • Earthquakes are ground shaking due to the Iberian Peninsula’s location in the contact zone between the African and Eurasian plates. They mostly threaten the south and southeast of Spain.
  • Volcanic eruptions are confined to the Canary Islands.
  • Landslides
    • Landslides are characteristic of humid regions with steep slopes covered by grass or meadows, which do not hold enough soil when saturated by heavy rains.
    • Landslides occur in streams where rock breaks occur at the top. Broken fragments roll down the slope.

2.2 Climate Risks

Climate risks include more frequent floods and droughts, as well as snowstorms, cold spells, and heat waves. Floods and snowstorms cause difficulties in transportation.

  • Floods are caused by intense rainfall in a short time or by the rapid melting of snow. They mainly affect the Mediterranean and Cantabrian coasts. The negative effects of flooding are exacerbated by inappropriate human activities such as the construction of buildings in flood-prone areas and the lack of cleanliness of river channels.
  • Drought is a temporary and prolonged rainfall deficit below the average rainfall of a region. It particularly affects the south and southeast of Spain. The lack of rain causes drought in some areas, leading to problems such as water restrictions for the population. Solutions are not easy and include measures such as water transfers, desalination plants, reuse of treated water, and raising awareness about water use.

Other climate risks include hail, cold spells, snowstorms, heat waves, and wind storms.

2.2.1 Acid Rain

Acid rain is precipitation with higher acidity than normal. It occurs when emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides mix with water vapor in the air and become acidic solutions, which fall to the earth’s surface as rain. Acid rain can damage water, soil, vegetation, and buildings. The worst affected areas in Spain are near power plants in La Coruña, León, and Teruel. To combat acid rain, Spain signed the Geneva Convention, which requires it to reduce its emissions.

2.2.3 Urban Pollution

Urban pollution, also known as smog, is a mist formed by particles of suspended dust and smoke emitted by traffic and heating systems. It is prevalent in large cities with over 100,000 people, mostly in winter and during anticyclonic conditions. Smog can cause damage to buildings and plants, as well as cardiovascular diseases in people. To combat this problem, measures are being taken to promote the use of public transport, encourage energy savings, replace coal and diesel boilers with natural gas boilers, and introduce catalytic converters in automotive engines.

2.2.4 The Greenhouse Effect and Climate Change

The greenhouse effect is a natural function of the atmosphere caused by water vapor and gases such as carbon dioxide and methane. These gases act like the glass of a greenhouse, letting in solar radiation but retaining some of the heat radiated by the Earth’s surface, preventing it from escaping into space. However, the increase in emissions of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels, emissions from certain industries, automobiles, fires, and deforestation has increased the amount of heat retained. The result is climate change, which involves a global temperature increase on Earth. This leads to increased droughts and floods, rising sea levels (between 18 and 60 cm) due to the melting of polar ice, and a reduction of biodiversity, causing the extinction of animal and plant species. All these consequences have a major impact on Spanish territory, especially in the Mediterranean area.

Spain has significantly increased its emissions of greenhouse gases due to the increased number of cars and growing energy demand, mostly covered by fossil fuels. However, it must meet its international commitments. The Kyoto Protocol obliges Spain to not increase its emissions by 2012. However, Spain is the country furthest from achieving its Kyoto targets. Given this problem, measures are being taken, such as lowering taxes on cleaner cars, implementing standards to improve energy efficiency in buildings, promoting renewable energy, and creating new, cleaner combined cycle power plants.